The present invention relates to a dust aspirating arrangement, particularly for underground applications, for instance for development and mining machines.
Dust aspirating arrangements for underground operations are known in the art. Dust which is generated during the operation of underground machines, on the one hand, is a health hazard. Even if such is not the case, dust in the air worsens visibility which results in a considerable reduction of machine operating capacity. A dust aspirating arrangement must have small dimensions that the it can be mounted on the frame of the machine without affecting cutting or extracting operations. In order to construct dust aspirating arrangements having small dimensions, it has been proposed to provide in such arrangements a ventilator and to supply the same with moisture so as to obtain efficient mixing and contacting of the dust with the moisture. The thus-produced mixture is then admitted into a separator where dust and moisture are separated from the air, whereupon the latter is readmitted into the underground working space.
In a known arrangement the ventilator is arranged in a mixture chamber wherein a mixture of the moisture and dust-containing air is produced. If the dust which is produced during operation of the machine tends to have adhesive characteristics, the mixture of such machine with the moisture forms a clay which tends to cake. This cake encrustates the ventilator and causes imbalances of ventilator blades so that they must be frequently cleaned. At the same time, this results in bearing wear so that the bearings must be frequently repaired or replaced.